Pets

Some of us are cat people, some of us are dog people and (while it is hard to believe---) some of us are no pet people!  Our home is a dog home and at it's fullest, there have been six dogs roaming around- four living here and two visiting.  When we have adopted a dog, it has been an all in adoption.  We have had one or two mixed breeds when we were first married, then fell in love with miniature dachshunds.  Then, our youngest went on a campaign to get a yellow lab after he saw the movie "The Incredible Journey".  He was even picky about the lab- she had to have a pink spot on her nose.
As he asked and begged for this dog, I told him that if he could find one at the shelter we could get it. At the same time, a friend called me about a lab that was neglected and would we be interested in her.  But, she was a Golden Retriever Lab mix and our son wanted a Lab-- with a pink spot on her nose.  We went to see her just in case and low and behold-- she was exactly what we needed.  Sadie came into our lives and introduced us to the wonderful world of big, unconditional loving dog.  She was a great dog (other than eating food off the counter) and we enjoyed her immensely.
A few years after we adopted Sadie, we adopted a miniature Chihuahua--- they are so cute when they are little, aren't they?  Dala never was a cuddle with you dog.  She kind of stayed to herself and every now and then would let you pick her up and enjoy her.  She became my husband's dog.  We moved from our fenced in back yard to a new home without a fence and both dogs had a hard time with the adjustment.  They didn't like leash walking, could use the bathroom if you were nearby, ran off when they could (a Chihuahua can go really far pretty fast) and so we found a home for Sadie where she could be outside again.  When the man came to get her, she acted like he was her long lost owner and we knew she was going to be ok.  That left us with Dala.
But, I needed my own dog.  A dog that would sit with me at night, walk nicely on a leash, enjoy car rides and be my companion!  I thought I wanted a Yorkie-- cute, little and adorable but one of our boys suggested this new breed we hadn't heard of.  So off we went looking for a Havanese.
Havanese were bred in Cuba to be a companion dog to aristocrats.  We found Lola in north Georgia and I was in love from the beginning.  She has soft, silky curly hair and loves to be combed and groomed.  She's great with the kids and sits near me in my home office during the day.  But, when my husband is home-- she is by his side.  Sits on his lap looking at him!  But, she is a sweet dog and I enjoy taking her to the park (she walks great on a leash) when it's warm or laying out by the pool with  me during the summer.
Over the past year, our Chihuahua has developed a terrible cough and we found her trachea was collapsing (common in small dogs).  She would get better then worse to the point where we finally took her to another Vet to be checked and see if he could give her stronger cough medicine.  He found her heart was enlarged and pressing on three organs and it was only going to get worse.  Dala had days where she didn't want to get out of her bed and then she would have days she ran around like a little puppy again.  At this point, her life was miserable, probably in pain from the enlarged heart and the internal pressure on her tiny five pound body.  So, we made the decision to let her go to sleep.
There's a loss in our home.  She has been a part of our family for 12 years.  Lola doesn't seem to notice, she probably thinks she went to spend the night with Lily (one of our grand pups)!  Lola is now the Alpha Dog and the position has not gone to her head just yet.  She is still her sweet, adorable self and I enjoy each moment           she isn't barking!